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Everyone Loves a Good Drought

Everyone loves a good drought by P. Sainath is an eyeopener of a book. If there’s a book that has taken me through myriads of emotions, it is this collection of the author’s visits and reports from the poorest of the poor districts of India – specifically from eight districts – Ramnad and Pudukkottai in Tamil Nadu, Godda and Palamau in Bihar, Malkangiri and Nuapada in Orissa and Surguja and Jhabua, in Madhya Pradesh. There are some reports from Koraput and Kalahandi (Orissa), totalling about sixty-eight stories.

A deep sense of anguish is the underlying feeling as one reads about the poor, the dalits , the adivasis and the marginalized communities. They have to bear the brunt of everything from lack of facilities like sanitation, health and education, drinking water, roads and transport – well everything that would raise the quality of human development indices even after close to four decades of independence. Yet, one cannot but marvel at the resilience of these hardy people who bounce back and eke out their livelihoods in their own simple ways.

The stories showcase what ails our government projects – many of the cogs in the wheel plunder, loot and thrive on what they siphon out from such projects. A drought, for instance – a real one or even a rigged one – is a much sought after phenomenon – akin to a harvest of riches. It is this ‘crop’ that gives the book its apt title – Everybody loves a Good Drought. Besides the lopsided focus on development has brought in its wake countless troubles – like loss of indigenous cattle (e.g. the Khariar bull), messy health care, physical displacement, and cultural alienation just to mention a few.

It is amazing to read about instances of self directed empowerment – the picture of thousands of neo-literate Pudukkottai women who have developed a penchant for cycling, thus bringing unto themselves much needed self-confidence and self-respect. Or to read about the literacy movement or the anti-liquor movement that gained momentum much to aid the lot of the women folk.

If you are not exposed to the complexities of what rural India is like, this is the book to read. Well researched and meticulously crafted, it draws a pen picture of the India that is its villages, in its marginalized and much exploited communities. Loved the powerful language of the writer.